


Just Enough

by LittleWhiteTie



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bonus Scenes, Canon Universe, Caregiving, Contrast Bingo, Dancing, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Major Illness, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Canon, Prompt Fill, Sickfic, Weddings, platonic, romantic, some can be interpreted either way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-06-10 05:49:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15285033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleWhiteTie/pseuds/LittleWhiteTie
Summary: Ficlets and prompt fills.1. “One of these days,” Shiro says to Keith, voice slurring on the brink of fever dreams to come, “I’m going to tell you.” (Shiro/Keith)2. “Hello, Lance,” Allura says, quietly. She cants her head and lifts her lips a fraction: it’s okay; come closer. (Lance &/Allura)3. It’s easier to pretend the clone wasn’t ahe, but anit. Lance doesn't miss him. He doesn't. He can't. (Lance &/Shiro)4. The hug they share is a shy little thing, tentative and careful, but genuine. (Keith & Allura & Lance)5. Shiro doesn’t know how to lead into it—nothing he could think of of ever felt right—so he just takes the plunge. “I’m in love with you." (Shiro/Keith)6. The Kerberos mission is successful. Keith is there for Shiro when he returns. (Shiro/Keith)7. Keith's voice breaks when he says, “I love you.” (Keith/Shiro, Keith & Lance)8. Keith and Shiro don't have milestones like other couples. (Keith/Shiro)





	1. Sickness/Health (Shiro/Keith)

**Author's Note:**

> These are all on [tumblr](https://littlewhitetie.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/littlewhitetie). You can find them there first! :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Contrast Bingo fill: Sickness/Health (Shiro/Keith)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fill for [Contrast Bingo](https://littlewhitetie.tumblr.com/post/175632206077/contrast-bingo-send-me-a-square-characters-or-a)!
> 
> butteredonions said:  
> Sheith, sickness/health? :3 (I give up on subtle.)

A loud _thump_ startles Keith out of sleep. He snaps his eyes open to find Shiro on the floor at the base of his bed. He’s struggling to push himself up with his arm, shaking with the effort.

The room is dark, illuminated only by the moons outside the window, but his complexion is still visibly off-colour, ashen yet flushed at the cheeks. “Keith,” he croaks.

Keith leaps out of bed. “Shiro? What’re you—”

“Th-think I’m gonna be sick.”

Cursing, Keith scrambles to the corner of the room to retrieve the waste bin and hurries to Shiro’s side. He slides one hand beneath Shiro’s underarm and the other around his chest to haul him to a seated position.

He pulls the bin in front of Shiro just in time, holding it for him as Shiro empties the meagre contents of his stomach. Keith runs a soothing hand over Shiro’s sweat-soaked upper back as he continues to dry heave after there’s nothing left. When Shiro’s finally finished, Keith sets the bin to the side and catches him as he slumps over.

“Th-thanks,” Shiro says, panting. His whole body is shaking.

Keith shakes his head and pulls Shiro in a little closer against him. He slides one hand up to Shiro’s forehead. It’s alarmingly hot and slick with sweat.   

“Again,” Keith murmurs, sympathetic. Shiro’s health has been so fragile since his resurrection. “You alright?”

Shiro answers with a trace of a wry smile: not really, but he’ll manage.

“I’ll go get you some water,” Keith offers.

Shiro nods once, though it’s more of a loll of his head.

Keith helps him to lean back against the bed frame. “Be back in a dobosh,” he says. He brushes Shiro’s damp, pale bangs out of his face before leaving the room, grabbing the waste bin on his way out.

He makes a beeline to the bathroom and places the bin in the bathtub. He rinses it out a couple times, emptying it into the toilet and flushing the contents. Turning on the sink faucet, he makes sure the water runs cool before finding a tumbler in the cabinet and filling it up. He grabs a washcloth and wets that too, wringing it out before heading back.  

When he returns, Shiro’s eyes are closed. “Shiro?” Keith whispers.

Shiro groans. He blinks sticky eyelids open, struggling with the effort. “K-Keith.”

“Hey.” He brings the cup to Shiro’s lips, holding the waste bin to his chest, below his chin. Shiro takes a bit of water into his mouth and weakly spits it out into the bin, repeating the motion twice. 

“Drink a little?” Keith suggests.

Shiro takes a few sips, but soon, he’s coughing it back up.

“You’re alright,” Keith soothes. He rubs small circles over his back as he cleans him up with the washcloth, wiping at his mouth and chin.

“S-sorry,” Shiro gasps.

“Shh,” Keith says, setting everything aside. “Let’s get you back into bed, okay?”

“I don’t… I don’t think I can—“

“I’ve got you,” Keith assures him, slipping arms under and around him to bring him to his feet. He bears the bulk of Shiro’s weight as he brings him to sit on his bed. He helps him to lie back down, adjusting the pillow under his neck and pulling the light blanket over him.

“Thank you,” Shiro says, voice heavy with exhaustion. He closes his eyes as Keith gently cups his warm, sticky cheek. “You’re so good to me. Always there to take care of me.”

“Of course,” Keith says.

Shiro’s eyes crack open again, just a sliver. “One of these days…”

“…Hm?”

“One of these days,” Shiro says, voice slurring on the brink of fever dreams to come, “I’m going to tell you.”

“Tell me what, Shiro?”

His eyelids flutter as he fights to keep them open, but it’s a lost battle. “Just how much I…”

Keith waits for him to continue with bated breath, but Shiro doesn’t say anything further, lost to the siren song of sleep.

“…Okay,” Keith says, trailing his knuckles down Shiro’s jawline. He sits down beside him and settles in; it will probably be a long night. “Take your time.”

Maybe Shiro will finish that thought when he wakes. Maybe he won’t. Maybe when he’s healthy again. Or maybe not then, either. It doesn’t matter. Whatever he says, whenever he says it, Keith will be right here, waiting.


	2. Shame/Pride (Allura & Lance or Allura/Lance)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Contrast Bingo fill: Shame/Pride (Allura & Lance or Allura/Lance)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fill for [Contrast Bingo!](https://littlewhitetie.tumblr.com/post/175632206077/contrast-bingo-send-me-a-square-characters-or-a)
> 
> lightshesaid asked:
> 
> For the Contrast Bingo meme: shame/pride with lance/allura (platonic is good too btw!)

“Allura?”

Allura’s first instinct is to straighten her spine, plaster on a smile, and pray she’s standing far enough away that the hot tears spilling down her cheeks aren’t obvious.

But it’s Lance, and Lance always finds a way of slipping past her usual defences. Around him, she can be someone she doesn’t dare be around anyone else.

He stands at the edge of the empty ballroom, waiting for her response before coming any closer. He leaves enough distance between them that, if she wanted, she could pretend she was fine, and he could pretend to believe it.

“Hello, Lance,” she says, quietly. She cants her head and lifts her lips a fraction: it’s okay; come closer.

He crosses the floor to meet her, his steps briefly synchronizing with the rhythm of the traditional Altean tune over the speakers. He comes to stand beside her, draping his lanky arms over the railing. She moves in a little closer.

“Today would have been Valtraazyth Day on Altea,” she explains, staring through ghosts on the pale dancefloor. “It was a grand festival, filled with song and dance. The song we’re listening to right now was my favourite growing up. My mother’s, too.”

Lance tilts his head to the side, listening. “I like it. It’s pretty.” His voice is low in both pitch and volume; calm, soothing.

“The real beauty was in the dances,” she says. “They always brought the songs to life. But I—” She falters, swallowing hard.

In the space of the pause, Lance shifts so that his upper arm nudges hers, quiet and supportive.

“I can’t remember the steps,” she admits, choking as shame flushes her cheeks. How could she have forgotten? How could she _let_ herself forget?

“Could you ask Coran?” he offers.

She shakes her head, and more tears slip loose. She swipes at her cheeks, brushing them away. “I don’t want to bring it up if I don’t have to. It would crush him to know I’ve forgotten.” Another piece of Altea, gone.

He makes a quiet noise of acknowledgement. “Well… It’s not the same, but what if we made a new dance up?”

She blinks. “A… new dance?”

“I know it could never replace what you had before,” he says, “But it could still be fun.”

“How—where would we even start?”

Playfulness spreads to the corners of his mouth. “How ‘bout like this?” He wiggles his arms in the _strangest_ way.

A burst of laughter escapes her, unexpected and abrupt. It seems to encourage him, his bones turning to jelly as he waves them around.

“C’mon,” he says with an encouraging smile, holding his hands out with his palms facing up. She places her hands atop his, letting his fingers fold over hers. Hands linked, he swings their arms back and forth, up and down.

He starts moving his hips and knees and feet. With a little coaxing, he gets her to follow. No rehearsed steps, just improvised movement with the beat. It feels strange, but also liberating.

After he has her smiling again, he shows her some of his Earth moves. They’re bizarre and ungainly, but highly entertaining. He has her join in, and she’s never felt so ridiculous in her life. It’s horribly undignified, with the way she keeps bursting into laughter.

They merge his Earth steps with some of the Altean steps she does remember, choreographing a clumsy chimera of a dance interspersed with little jumps and claps and odd hip movements. They go over it a few times, each run through funnier than the last. They laugh until they can barely breathe.

“So,” Lance grins, before the song starts again on repeat. “What d’you think of our new dance?”

“It’s atrocious,” she giggles. “Coran would cry if he saw what we’d done with the Valtraazyth dances. …None of the others can see this, either. We’d never live it down.”

“It’s pretty bad,” Lance agrees, “But you’re smiling now.”

Her cheeks tinge pink, though not unpleasantly so. She lets her grin broaden. “I am, aren’t I.”

“So really, we made something beautiful,” he says, beaming at her. “And that, Princess, is something to be proud of.”


	3. Easier (Lance/Shiro or Lance & Shiro)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro's back. Lance should be celebrating.

It’s easier to pretend this is the way it should be; everything is right again. Shiro’s finally back. It’s cause for celebration.

It’s easier to pretend the clone wasn’t a _he_ , but an _it_. A thing, a machine made of flesh and bone, only programmed to act like Shiro so he could destroy them. He didn’t care. He didn’t feel. He didn’t love. It was all just an elaborate act to deceive them.

Nobody died. It’s a victory; another threat eliminated. Just another of Haggar’s creations defeated. The clone wasn’t a person. Just a shell, a vessel, an empty body for the real Shiro to return to.

The clone wasn’t someone Lance spent the better part of a year getting to know, longer even than with the original Shiro. He wasn’t a dork who played Monsters and Mana with him, an unbearably bad actor who somehow stole the spotlight in the Voltron Show, a frustrated leader who lost his temper but apologized later. He wasn’t someone flawed but _human,_ someone who made mistakes and bad choices, someone Lance could relate to.

He wasn’t a victim. He wasn’t someone who needed help, vulnerable and hurt and scared, someone who leaned on Lance for support.

He wasn’t someone Lance had grown to love.

Lance doesn’t miss him. He doesn’t. He can’t. He can’t miss him if there was never anyone to miss.

They lived nearly a year under false pretenses; one more lie won’t hurt. So he was never anyone at all. It’s easier this way.


	4. Elementary Bonus Scene (Allura & Keith & Lance)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith falls out of the healing pod into Allura’s and Lance’s waiting arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a follow-up scene to [Elementary](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13511925).

Keith falls out of the healing pod into Allura’s and Lance’s waiting arms. He lets out a lethargic sigh as his eyelids flutter open. “Mm…?”

“Hey there,” Lance says, steadying Keith as his legs wobble. Lance catches Allura’s eye, subtly nodding his head in Keith’s direction. She pivots to Keith’s side, ducking under his arm so it’s slung across her shoulders.

“How are you feeling?” Allura asks, residual anxiousness creeping into the edges of her voice.

“A lot better. Thanks,” he answers, without pause. Allura smiles. The normal response time is a great relief. The way he sags against Allura is testament to his exhaustion, but there’s no sign he’s in pain.

“You really had us worried,” Lance says.

Keith huffs out a laugh. “Must’ve been bad if _you_ were worried about me.”

The corners of Lance’s lips lift at the jibe. “Yeah, well. It was pretty bad, man.”

“How much do you remember?” Allura asks.

“It’s pretty hazy. But I, um, remember… some things,” he says, ducking his head and averting his gaze. The tips of his ears go red. “I… uh…”

“You’re probably pretty hungry, yeah?” Lance cuts in. “I’ll go get some food goo ready.”

“Thanks,” Keith says, his voice tinged with relief.

Lance heads out, but before he makes it to the door, Keith says, “Hey, Lance?”

Lance turns on his heel. “Yeah?”

“Thanks for getting us out of there. I’m... not sure what would’ve happened if you hadn’t come,” Keith says, in a voice that implies he knows exactly what would have happened.

“All in a day’s work,” Lance shrugs, but there’s a confidence-boosted smile on his face as he walks out into the hallway.

Keith turns his head to look in Allura’s direction, though he doesn’t quite meet her eyes. “Allura, I, um. I’m sorry. For putting you in that position. Sorry you had to deal with me being… you know…”

Allura shakes her head. “I do wish you’d told me earlier that you weren’t feeling well, but there is no need to apologize. I’m just thankful you’re feeling better now.”

His eyes move to the floor. “Um. About some of the things I said—”

“I won’t tell a soul,” she promises. “And Lance has assured me he didn’t hear a thing. But just so you know, Coran managed to get in contact with Shiro and the others. They’re still finishing their mission, but they are fine.”

“Good to hear,” he says, with a slight self-deprecating smile. “And, um. …Thank you. For… you know. It… it was a good thing you were there.”

She matches his smile. “I’ll admit I am not naturally the… warmest person. I was afraid I would make things worse—”

He shakes his head. “No. Having you there, it—really helped.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” she breathes. “I’m so glad you’re alright.”

She turns her body to face him; he shifts his weight. The hug they share is a shy little thing, tentative and careful, but genuine.

“Thanks for being there,” Keith says, quietly, into the crook of her neck.

Allura smiles. “Always.”


	5. Confession (Shiro/Keith)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s a day like any other. There’s nothing new, nothing special, but Shiro tells himself today’s the day.
> 
> He’s told himself this before, but this time, he’s going to do it. He’s going to tell Keith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flusteredkeith's [ask](http://flusteredkeith.tumblr.com/post/176327001970/hey-i-just-wanted-to-hear-your-thoughts-on) on tumblr got me thinking. :)

It’s a day like any other. There’s nothing new, nothing special, but Shiro tells himself today’s the day.

He’s told himself this before, but this time, he’s going to do it. He’s going to tell Keith.

Maybe it’s one day too many of seeing the others paired off, out in the open with their easy affection. Maybe it’s one more skipped heartbeat that finally breaks the camel’s back. There’s no obvious catalyst; it’s just been building for so long that eventually, something’s got to give.

The butterflies in his stomach crawl their way up his throat, but he can do this. It’s been two years since it started, and the pulling ache of silent longing won’t go away on its own.

He finds Keith alone on the bridge of the newly built castle-ship, catching up on some sort of work. As he makes his way over to the Black Lion pilot’s chair, he tells himself the same thing he’d told Keith in the field once, way back when Keith had first taken up the mantle. If he’s going to do this, he’s just going to have to lower his shield, and deal with the consequences.

Shiro puts a hand on Keith’s shoulder, ignoring the sledgehammer striking his ribcage. “Keith?”

Keith turns to face him. He’s as beautiful as ever. “Yeah?”

“Do you have a moment?” Shiro says, hoping the catch in his breath isn’t too obvious. “There’s… something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Shiro walks a few paces over to the window, standing next to the starry backdrop. Keith dispels his holo-screen and follows.

When Keith meets him, there’s a slight dip in his brow—probably trying to figure out what’s important enough for Shiro to want to speak at eye level. “What is it?”

Shiro doesn’t know how to lead into it—nothing he could think of of ever felt right—so he just takes the plunge. “I’m in love with you.”

Keith’s eyes go wide. He’s surprised, but… not in the way Shiro had hoped for. There’s no smile tracing Keith’s lips. “…Oh,” is all Keith says.

It hurts.

Shiro had prepared himself for this—well, not quite _this_ —but as much as he’d known rejection was an option, it takes everything he has to stop the pain in his chest from spilling down his cheeks and tearing its way out of his throat.

Shiro forces himself to say something. “It’s been for a long time, now, and I just… thought I should tell you,” he whispers.

Keith looks away. “Yeah. Okay. I… guess that’s good to know.”

“That’s—that’s all.” Shiro’s eyes start to prickle. He has to get out of here. “I, um. I should go.”

“…Okay.”

Praying he doesn’t run into anyone along the way, Shiro hits the training deck. He spends the next few hours in the company of the gladiator, set at a level higher than he’s probably cut out to handle.

Dinner is awkward. Keith doesn’t say a word and barely touches his plate. He avoids eye contact with Shiro, only stealing glances at him when he thinks Shiro isn’t looking. He leaves shortly, announcing he’s turning in for the night.

Shiro ignores all the sidelong glances he gets from the others and their not-so-quiet whispering. He tries to focus on his food, getting halfway through before he gets up from his seat and follows.

He knocks at Keith’s door. Keith answers, wordlessly stepping aside to allow Shiro in.

The heavy door slides shut. “Keith, I’m sorry,” Shiro says. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Keith shakes his head. “No, it’s… fine.”

“I… I don’t know what good I thought would come of telling you that,” Shiro says. It’s so hard to maintain eye contact. “You’ve made it clear you think of me as a brother, but I guess I just… I don’t know. It was selfish of me. I should’ve known it would put you in an awkward position, and I did it anyway. So. I’m sorry.”

“Shiro, not feeling the same way isn’t the issue,” Keith says. “I’ve been in love with you for years.”

Shiro’s mind blanks, the vacuum in his chest suddenly replaced with lit dynamite. “Then— then why—“

“I’m just… I’m scared things are gonna change,” Keith says, his voice wavering. “What if we screw this up? What if we lose what we have?”

“Things could change,” Shiro admits. “But Keith, you’ll _always_ be my best friend, and my anchor, and, well… everything to me, really. No matter what happens, whatever our relationship is or isn’t, nothing in the entire universe could ever stop me from loving you with all my heart.”

Shiro pauses to take a gulp of air, his organs stripped bare, before continuing. “You don’t have to decide anything right now. Take your time. I don’t want to pressure you into anything. Whatever you want, I’ll—we’ll be okay. But I guess, just… keep that in mind.”

Keith gives him a long look, his dark eyes unreadable, before he reaches his arms out and yanks Shiro into a tight hug. “I already know what I want.”

Shiro doesn’t dare breathe. “…And?”

Keith pulls back enough that Shiro can see the upward curve of his lips and the softness in his gaze. “And it’s been long enough. I’m ready for change.”

Keith leans in again, and elation threads Shiro’s veins. After two long years, today’s the day.


	6. The Kerberos Mission is Successful (Shiro/Keith)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU in which Keith is there to take care of Shiro when he returns from Kerberos.
> 
> Note: this contains spoilers for the first episode of season 7.

The Kerberos mission is successful.

  * Shiro, Matt, and Sam return to Earth with the ice core samples, and they actually contain microorganisms. They've done it—they’ve found extraterrestrial life.   

  * But Shiro doesn’t get a chance to celebrate. As hard as he’d worked to try to prevent it, being in space accelerated his muscle atrophy—including that of his heart. As soon as they land, he’s rushed to the hospital. Still worth it, he thinks, before he passes out.   

  * When he wakes up, as expected, Adam is nowhere to be seen. But he’s not alone. Keith is there, waiting for him, and he doesn’t leave his bedside. It’s good to have him back.  

  * Shiro finds he has trouble sitting up or holding things or walking, and this is just the start. He doesn’t regret his choice, but it’s terrifying and devastating all the same. And while he’d known this would happen, and he’d known Adam wouldn’t be there for him, he hadn’t truly thought about how hard it would be to go home and live with this all on his own.   

  * It turns out he doesn’t have to. Keith tells Shiro he’s been having issues with his roommate—the one he’s had for years and never had any problems with before. Now that Adam’s moved out, can he move in with Shiro? It would really help him out. Keith has always been a terrible liar, but Shiro can’t say no. 


  * Keith is a better roommate than he could ever ask for. Even though he’s busy with his studies, the apartment is always sparkling clean, and the fridge is always stocked, and there’s dinner waiting on the table when Shiro gets home from work. Keith finds small, subtle ways to help out. He’s not constantly asking Shiro if he needs help with things, but he’s always around in case he does.   

  * Keith helps Shiro to keep doing the things he loves doing. They still spar, they still fly, they still race. They have to adapt, they’re more careful, but Keith never treats him like glass. Things are different from before, but they’re the same in all the ways that matter.


  * Keith is offered the chance to pilot a mission to Charon after graduation, just like he’d always wanted—and he declines. Shiro can’t stand the thought of Keith giving up on his dream to go to space just to be around for him, but Keith insists that this is what he wants. Dreams change, and right now, what Keith wants is to be here in this apartment with Shiro. Keith respected Shiro’s choice to go to space; Shiro has to respect Keith’s choice to stay. Reluctantly, Shiro accepts it, so long as Keith promises he’ll go someday, after Shiro’s gone. Keith doesn’t want to think about that future, but eventually, he gives Shiro his word.   

  * Shiro falls more and more often, and eventually, braces aren’t enough. He’s prescribed a chair. He’s dreaded this day, but Keith doesn’t treat him any differently. It becomes the new normal. They have to move to a new, accessible apartment, but with Keith there, it already feels like home.   

  * As Shiro’s disease progresses, his autonomy dwindles, and he becomes more and more dependent on Keith. He’s frustrated and scared and grieving and in pain, and he’s not always easy to be around. Still, Keith takes it in stride. While patience doesn’t come naturally to Keith, he possesses it in spades when it comes to Shiro.   

  * Keith makes all kinds of sacrifices, but he insists they aren’t sacrifices at all. He wants to work from home. He wants to spend all his time with Shiro. He wants to help Shiro with all the things he can no longer do by himself. Keith is always there when Shiro needs him.  

  * Keith is there to race him to the hospital when his heart almost gives up.  

  * And when his lungs almost give out.   

  * Again.  

  * And again.  

  * And again.  

  * Eventually, Shiro dies. His heart stops, but he dreams, and he can hear Keith calling for him. _I love you_. Shiro can’t give up yet, because Keith needs to hear _I love you too_. So he finds his way back, and he stays a while longer.  

  * Living is hard, and it only gets harder. Eventually, Shiro needs Keith’s help with everything. Eating, drinking, using the toilet, dressing, bathing. It’s not easy, but Keith is with him all the way through.   

  * Somewhere along the way, hands on shoulders become fingers laced together.      

  * Somewhere along the way, “Shiro” becomes “Takashi.”   

  * Somewhere along the way, _I love you_ becomes _I’m in love with you_.  
 
  * It’s not what Shiro had with Adam. It’s different, new, gradual, inevitable. Keith offers support instead of protection. It’s exactly what Shiro needs.   

  * With Keith at his side, Shiro lives longer than he’d ever expected, and by the end of his life, he’s lived out his dreams. He’s discovered a new form of life out in space; he’s discovered a new form of love on Earth. Keith is with him until the end, and when the time comes, Shiro’s ready. 



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Verstron/WhoopsieDaisies wrote an absolutely wonderful drabble based on this AU [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15451041)! 
> 
> I would LOVE if anyone else were to write more for this. <3


	7. "I Love You": loud, so everyone can hear (Keith/Shiro, Lance & Keith)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [The way you said "I love you" prompt](https://littlewhitetie.tumblr.com/post/182095494382/the-way-you-said-i-love-you): 15. loud, so everyone can hear (Sheith)

“You, uh, sure you want another?” Lance asks Keith as he comes back from the bar with yet another drink. Lance doesn’t know how many he’s had, but the flush in his face and swagger in his step say it’s been quite a few. “They’re doing the speeches soon.”

“Exactly,” Keith says, and tosses it back.

“Nervous?” Lance asks. It’s strange. Keith has never been one for public speaking, but Lance always assumed it was more disinterest than anxiousness, and he’s spoken in front of crowds far larger than this.

“Sure,” Keith says. “Let’s go with that.”

“Okay… Well, I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Lance says. 

Keith just gives him a rueful smile, and downs the dregs of his drink.

 

 

All eyes are on Keith as the guests wait for the best man speech. The silence becomes more and more uncomfortable as the seconds tick by. Keith’s gaze is locked on Shiro, eyes glassy but intense.

“Shiro,” Keith finally says. His voice is loud, so everyone can hear, but there’s a rawness and intimacy to his tone that’s more suited to a private conversation. His voice breaks when he says, “I love you.”

A low murmur fills the hall as the guests exchange glances and whispers. Shiro’s eyes are wide, his usual composure cracked wide open. There are too many emotions running through his face to give name to.

“You’re my… you’re my best friend, and I just want you to be happy,” Keith says. The words are strained, and Lance’s chest physically aches at the sound, the sight. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted. If you find that with him, then I… I’m glad.”

Keith doesn’t say anything further. He keeps his eyes cast downward as he heads back to his seat, where he reaches across the table and takes Lance’s drink. Lance doesn’t stop him.

 

 

“What was that?”

Lance doesn’t _mean_ to eavesdrop on Keith and Shiro’s conversation in the hallway, but he happened to be there, and… well, It’s not like he’s going to be noticed.

“What was what?” Keith asks.

“You know what,” Shiro says. “Your speech _.”_

“You asked me to speak at your wedding,” Keith says. “I did.”

Shiro drags a hand through his white hair, his forehead crinkled. “What you—what you said. Why now?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Keith says.

“Why would you tell me you loved me _at_ _my_ _wedding?”_

“Because I do,” Keith says. “It’s nothing new. I’ve told you before.”

“But not—not like—” Shiro scrubs his hand over his face. “I don’t know what you’re expecting me to do, here, Keith.”

“I’m not expecting anything,” Keith says. “I’ve never expected anything.”

The exasperation in Shiro’s face dissipates, leaving behind something much sadder. “Keith…”

“I’m glad you finally found someone who can make you happy,” Keith says, quietly.

Shiro’s eyes glisten. “I… Keith…”

“I’m sorry,” Keith says. “I didn’t mean to say it like that. I wasn’t trying to upset you.”

“I know you weren’t. I just… don’t know what to do,” Shiro admits, his voice barely audible.

“You don’t have to do anything,” Keith says. “I’ll head out. Sorry I messed up the reception.”

“I don’t care about the reception. You don’t have to leave.”

With a watery smile, Keith says, “Yeah. I do.”

Shiro steps forward and pulls Keith into a tight, desperate hug. “I’m sorry,” he breathes into his hair. “I wish…”

“You wish what?” Keith asks, fitting his arms around Shiro.

Shiro doesn’t answer, just sinks further into Keith’s hold. If Keith could see the look in his eyes, he’d know.

 _“Oh,”_ a voice—Veronica’s—whispers from beside Lance. Lance doesn’t know how long she’s been here, but a glimpse is enough.

Lance lets her drag him away from something far too intimate to be watching any further. “I give it a week.”

Veronica raises an eyebrow. “A week?”

“Yeah. I think Shiro’ll try to stick it out for a week before he calls off the marriage.”

“You think he’d do that?” Veronica asks.

“Well, it’s better sooner than later,” Lance shrugs. “And it’ll happen.”

Veronica tilts her head. “How can you be so sure?”

“Because if there’s one thing I know,” Lance says, “it’s that Takashi Shirogane doesn’t settle.”

 

 

 _“You’re good,”_ Veronica’s text reads, six days later. _“Not even a week.”_ A spicolian movement. Lance probably shouldn’t be as thrilled as he is by news of a divorce, but a contented smile spreads across his face. He pats himself on the back and sends Veronica a smug emoji.

It’s not long before Lance gets a call from Shiro.

_“Lance?”_

“Hey, Shiro. I was wondering when you’d call.”

The look in Shiro’s eyes isn’t one of sorrow or grief. It’s pure determination. _“Do you know where I can find Keith?”_

“Yeah,” Lance grins. “Yeah, I do.”


	8. Milestones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Shiro don't have milestones like other couples. (Keith/Shiro)

Keith and Shiro don’t have milestones like other couples. They don’t celebrate their anniversary, since they don’t know when they actually started dating. It’s not until someone brings it up that they realize they’ve been in a relationship for months—years, even.

Keith doesn’t remember their first kiss. He knows there had to have been a first, but it’s all so gradual, so effortless and inevitable. It probably starts some time after Shiro’s resurrection, when Shiro is touch-starved and terrified of being alone, and Keith needs constant reassurance that Shiro’s still here and whole. 

Shiro has nightmares, and Keith holds him close. Shiro breathes into Keith’s shoulder, his neck; Keith’s lips press into Shiro’s hair. A kiss to his temple become a kiss to his forehead, his cheek. Sometimes, one of them will shift, and their lips will brush. It’s just par for the course. They kiss, but they don’t even realize they’re doing it. 

 They kiss, and touch, and touch more. They go a little further each time, but the progression is so gradual that the change is imperceptible. They don’t know when it becomes sex. It doesn’t matter. Physical intimacy doesn’t mean much when they’ve been emotionally intimate for so long.

Keith doesn’t remember when Shiro first said “I love you” back to him, because when it happens it’s nothing new, it’s just stating the obvious. Shiro’s already said it without words so many times before.

There’s no engagement, no wedding; there’s no need. Everyone already knows how much they mean to each other. “Death do us part” never applied to them anyway. 

 There are no labels, they just are. It has, and always will be, enough.

**Author's Note:**

> I write and draw things on [twitter](https://twitter.com/littlewhitetie), [tumblr](https://littlewhitetie.tumblr.com), and [pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/littlewhitetie). I'm always open to prompts. Come say hi!


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